Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#201

Post by Syzygies » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 1:56 PM UTC

fyfy18 wrote: post #166

A few years ago my parents were getting a lot of spam calls on their landline. Basically all of them were automated calls, either a recorded message or you were connected to a person shortly after the call was connected. I bought an OBi100 [0], which is a small device designed to be a VOIP adapter, but you can setup rules on how calls (incoming or outgoing) are handled. I setup a rule that if the call was from a with…

I do exactly this today, using Phone.com as my home VoIP provider. One "universal" number rings both my cell and the VoIP land line determined by my travel schedule. Not on my whitelist? A prompt asks the caller to dial 7. No robocall has gotten through since.

Of course if this were widely available for people who can't write five lines of code, it would be defeated. For HN readers, some of whom scripted checking into Continental flights right at the 24 hour window to game the upgrade list, this is child's play that works.

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#202

Post by julienreszka » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 1:56 PM UTC

pmoriarty wrote: post #28

On Android, you can do exactly this with an app called "Should I Answer?" That app has a lot more features too, like blocking calls which are rated negatively in the community-curated database. Of course, you can rate numbers yourself as well, and block/whitelist those. It can also block hidden numbers or foreign numbers, and a whole bunch of other stuff as well. It's a pretty cool app. Check it out.

I will try this

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#203

Post by moonbug » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 1:56 PM UTC

Phones should be like Victorian children. Seen but not heard.

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#204

Post by broAhmed » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:10 PM UTC

wittedhaddock wrote: post #62

My name is James, I work for Community Phone, a nationwide cell phone company. Show of hands: if we opened up this feature for you to control this filter for yourself or your loved ones, holding all else constant (price and coverage), would that be sufficient to cause a switch to try out an alternate provider?

Hey James. Honestly, it probably wouldn't be enough for me to switch. I've been using the do-not-disturb solution for a few weeks now and I'm mostly satisfied.

However, that proposed feature plus the fact you don't sell user data to advertisers (reading your website) is appealing...

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#205

Post by cblades » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:17 PM UTC

BillinghamJ wrote: post #152

WestCoastJustin wrote: post #5

I just put my iphone on "do not disturb" full-time and use my favourites list to only allow calls though (from a selected list). People who double call are also allowed through. Then you are not constantly distracted by notifications, emails, texts, spam calls [1]. My thinking is, my phone should serve me, not the other way around, so I only check when I'm not focused on something else. Personally, I find useless not…

Not quite the same thing, but I have my mobile network set up to forward every call to a Twilio number which just states that my number doesn't accept calls. It sends me an SMS so I know someone tried to. It's great. People who do need to call me then will just use FaceTime Audio or WhatsApp calls.

That seems really obnoxious for anyone that has your number. Do you just not give your number out?

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#206

Post by snarfy » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:18 PM UTC

fyfy18 wrote: post #166

A few years ago my parents were getting a lot of spam calls on their landline. Basically all of them were automated calls, either a recorded message or you were connected to a person shortly after the call was connected. I bought an OBi100 [0], which is a small device designed to be a VOIP adapter, but you can setup rules on how calls (incoming or outgoing) are handled. I setup a rule that if the call was from a with…

When I had a landline, I set my voice mail message to the 'we're sorry, your number cannot be completed as dialed' message. Worked great.

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#207

Post by hardwaresofton » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:19 PM UTC

andai wrote: post #163

hardwaresofton wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mean this maliciously but unless I've misread your comment this is a lot of text that boils down to "sometimes you'll be unreachable". Some of the reasons you list: - family members getting new phones - missed connections + job offers - teenage child being angry with you - emergencies Two responses: 1. The cellular phone has existed only for so long, and people found a way to exist before it. I'm not going to…

It sounds to me like phone spam is so bad in the US, a lot of people want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I wonder what the differences are in law or technology that makes the problem so bad there vs other parts of the world? Maybe it can be solved in another way.

I think we just have really loud complainers -- I lived in the US for most of my life and it's never been this bad of a problem...

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#208

Post by ubermonkey » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:23 PM UTC

I'm using an app on my iPhone called RoboKiller, and HOLY CRAP has it cut my spam calls to virtually nil.

It's worth looking into for sure.

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#209

Post by nkrisc » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:23 PM UTC

DonHopkins wrote: post #111

CamperBob2 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done this since the original iPhone first started to support custom ringtones. I used a quiet passage from a recording of Beethoven's 7th. Why Apple doesn't include a silent ringtone -- a feature found on pretty much every 'feature phone' I've ever seen or used -- is just one of life's dumb mysteries.

Probably because they were too cheap to pay the licensing fees.

I'm pretty sure they could afford to hire a composer for an original silent composition and a recording session to go along with it.

Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?

#210

Post by skykooler » Wed, Jan 30, 2019, 2:27 PM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #179

fyfy18 wrote: post #166

A few years ago my parents were getting a lot of spam calls on their landline. Basically all of them were automated calls, either a recorded message or you were connected to a person shortly after the call was connected. I bought an OBi100 [0], which is a small device designed to be a VOIP adapter, but you can setup rules on how calls (incoming or outgoing) are handled. I setup a rule that if the call was from a with…

This is the kind of solution that only works because basically nobody is doing it. If a big provider deployed it, it would take five seconds for it to be defeated.

Google Voice offers this as an option; they're fairly big.